6 Reasons to Attend the OBeer UserCon

Learn, collaborate, and hear about the future of brewery software

As Vanilla Ice once said: “Stop. Collaborate and listen…” Although Ice didn’t inspire our conference idea, he did nail the slogan for what the OBeer user conference is all about.

The OBeer user conference is an annual event for all our users to gather in one place to learn, collaborate, and hear about the future of brewery-specific software that was designed based on their wants and needs. And to drink some great beer in the process. But first, a little background on how we started the conference and why:

OrchestratedBEER User Conference Background

2012, the inaugural year of our OBeer user conference, was nothing more than a small gathering of 10 or so early adopters in Dallas, TX. The 2012 conference basically piggy-backed off of the SAP Business One conference held that year. It was an intimate setting where our most influential users provided the insights and feedback that helped mold OBeer for future users. It also laid the groundwork for future conferences.

In 2013, with triple the customer base and even more new features to showcase, we decided to hold our own OBeer user conference at our offices just outside Portland. 60+ people showed up for 3 days of training and sessions designed to help them learn more about the software, the community and us as a company. After a successful day 1 of conference sessions we charted a bus out to Full Sail Brewing Company for our first off-site, OBeer welcome reception.

This year will be a whole new experience for our users. 2014 attendees will notice a remarkable evolution in the OrchestratedBEER User Conference, now known as OBeer User Con. Now with over 100 customers and 500+ daily users, we needed a bigger space, more content, more speakers and even more craft beer. This year’s conference will have 35 sessions covering topics in technology, brewing and accounting. Some of the sessions will be presented by some of our users. We also brought in some industry professionals from VIP, ShipCompliant and Baker Tilly to address POS integrations, compliance and best accounting practices for handling some of the more complicated scenarios a brewery will encounter on the business side.

What excites us the most is the opportunity for our users to interact with each other, collaborate and share their own best practices. This community aspect of OBeer software is what makes OrchestratedBEER different from any other brewery management software solution.

Here’s a breakdown of top reasons why users are excited to attend the 2014 OBeer UserCon:

1. Training & “How-to” Sessions

This year, attendees can choose between 3 different tracks focusing on either Accounting & Reporting, Production & Planning or Technology & Advanced Functions.

2. Feedback

An emphasis on customer-centric product development allows OBeer software users to drive the future of the product they use every day. OBeer User Con is the perfect venue for users to tell us what they love, what they want improved, and most importantly, what they’d like to see in the next version of OrchestratedBEER to make it even better.

3. Preview the future of OBeer

OBeer software is always improving and simplifying with customer requested features like the OBeer iPad packaging app and the drag & drop production scheduler. We know it’s important to be transparent with what we’re doing which is why we’ve published our product road map for everyone to see. OBeer User Con takes it to the next level with in-depth discussions on what those new features are, what we’ve prioritized in development based on requests and what’s slated for future releases.

4. Learn Beer Industry Best Practices

Industry best practice guidelines are intertwined throughout all the sessions to help your brewery run faster and smarter, as well avoid some common mistakes on the business side of brewing.

5. Explore Portland

This one’s a no-brainer. With an actual downtown Portland location at Hotel Monaco this year you won’t have to worry about rental cars and cab fares. Portland’s MAX light rail system can take you from the Airport to downtown, to breweries on the east side. This year’s prime downtown location puts you smack dab in the middle of the city so you’ll have immediate access to explore beervana after conference hours

6. Customer-led sessions (New for 2014)

This year’s conference will feature 3 customer-led sessions on some of the most challenging issues. Take this opportunity to meet other breweries, learn how they’re using the software and share ideas on features that could be implemented in the future through organized round table discussions. Surly Brewing Co. will talk analytics, Golden Road will show you month-end closing procedures and Avery will show you how they’re applying labor & overhead to their production processes for more accurate cost tracking.

Joining the OBeer community

The only unfortunate aspect of OBeer UserCon is that you need to be an OBeer community member to attend. It’s an easy problem to solve but it does require some research and due diligence on your part to make it happen. You can start by asking around and talking to some of our customers you may know about why they chose OrchestratedBEER software for their brewery and how they utilize OrchestratedBEER on a daily basis.

Download a brochure, check out our product comparison chart and attend a live demo to experience why 100+ breweries around the country chose OBeer over any other brewery software alternative.

Keep in mind that no two brewery solutions are alike. OBeer isn’t just software; it’s an adoption of brewery best practices perfected by the best craft breweries in America. It’s why the best breweries run OrchestratedBEER.